Illusion device.



PATENTED MAR. 19, 19o?.

A.' P. BIONDI. ILLUsIoN DEVICE,

APPLICATION FILED JULY'ZB, 1905.

A. I". BIONDI.

ILLUsIoNv DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 22. 1905.

-PATBNTED MAR. 19, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 III-f- THE .vcmms pzrsks co.. wAsmNcmN, o. c.

PATENTE'D MAR. 19, 1907.

A. F. BIONDL- ILLUsIoN DEVICE. APPLIOATIDN FILED JULY 22 3 BEEETS-EIIEET3.

'1HE NaRRIs Parsias co., wxsmnamng'g A UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

ANGELO F. BIONDI, .OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ILLUSIQN DEVICE.

Speccatonrof Letters Patent.

Patented March 19, 1907.

Application filed Ju1y22, 1905. Serial No. 270,810.

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANGELO F. BIONDI, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of NewYork city, borough of Manhattan, in thecounty andState of New York, have inventedanew and useful Illusion Device, of

`which the following isla full, clearand eXact description. Y

This invention is an illusion apparatus which is intended to affordentertainment and amusement at summer resorts and other places.

The object in view iste provide an apparatus `.adapted and designed togive occupants of a car or vehicle the impression that `theyaretraveling at a high `rate of speed through various laces.

One `part of t e invention is the means employed for changin landsca .ewithin the, eld of view of the car or vehic` e. This end is attained bytheemployment of a succession of scenery-panels on each of apluralityof. carriers, the latter being cou led detachablyto an endlessdriving mem er, all as will hereinafter be setl forth.

invention.

of Fig. .3.

broken away. Fig. 4 is alongitudinal section showinga portion'of a shafton which,

the guide-pulleys forthe scenery yare mounted, said view illustratingalso the interlocking connection between the scenery-panel carriers andthe driving-aprons. Fig. 5 is a perspective Ashowing a ortion of a.carrierapron and a panel, the Aatter being attached to said apron; andFig. 6 is a longitudinal section through a portionV of a driving-beltand a scenery-carrier.

1 designates an exhibition-chamber, which, as shown, is preferably ofrectangular form, having side walls 2 and end walls 3. The chamber isdivided longitudinally by. two parallel partitions or walls 4, whichprovide a vsmaller chamber betweenthem. In this chamber is mounted anobservation-car 5, which is shown as being supported upon a plurality.of .rollers 6, the latter being dis- `dicated most clearly in Fig. 2.vwheels 8, which rest on the pairs vof rollers 6 the character of .thev

v5 and 6.)

posed, preferably, in pairs, and these rollers are'carried by horizontalshafts 7, which are supported in the partitions or walls 4, as in- Thecar has for the purpose of supporting the car in such away as to givemotion tothe wheels thereof by therotary motion of the rollers 6.

Between the walls 4 and the side walls 2 `are provided the spaces orchambers 9, adapted to receive the scenery employed in the illusionapparatus. In these spaces or chambers `are mounted a plurality ofhorizontal Vshafts .10, andupon each shaft there is a plurality ofrollers 1 1, which are quite shortand l ydisposed close together, asindicated by Fig.

1. One of the shafts 10, preferably the shaft 1()a at one end of theseries, is provided with pulleys 11a of s ecial form,` as shown by Fig.

4. These pul eys have reduced necks 12 formed thereon, and over thesenecks extend suitable driving-belts 13. Adriving-shaft 14 is journaledin the-lower portion of the exhibition-chamber, said shaft 14 beingparallel with the aforesaid shaft 10. At suitable points on the shaft 14ulleys 15 are secured rigidly thereto, said pu e s 15 being of dierentdiameters. The pul eys A.152', which are .disposed adjacent to thepartitions or walls, A.are of the greatest diameter, and the pulleysdiminish gradually in diameter toward the outermost pulleys 15b, whichare the smallest.

VThese pulleys are in vertical alinement with the aforesaid .reducednecks 12 ofthe yulleys 11a, and said pulleys `15 are operative yconnected with said necks bythe aforesaidbelts -13. A pulley ,16` isattached rigidly tothe driving-shaft ,14, near the middle thereof, saidpulley ltaffording means for driving the shaft 14 from a motor of anykind.`

Over the rollers 1 1 are fitted the endless drivin ,-belts 17, and eachdriving-belt is provi ed with spurs 17a, as shown in Fig. 6,

which spurs .project yfrom outer faces ofthe driving-belts.

In addition to the belts 17 I employ aprons 17h, which lie upon thebelts 17 and are propelled or driven thereby. To secure an interlocknglconnection between each carrierapron and its driving-belt, the aprons17T are provided with openings 17, which receive the spurs 17a of. thediving-belts. (See Figs. It is manifest that as the belts17 travel inone direction the spurs 17av will oper- ,ate to drive the aprons 17".-To each apron 17b is attached a series of scenery-panels 18,

IOO

ITO

The scenery for each apron is composed of a plurality of separate panels1S, which are adliacent to each other or overlap at their edges. Eachpanel is preferably attached to its proper apron by means of anangle-clip or foot-plate 20, as indicated in Fig. 5.

It should be understood that the belts 17 are endless, the upper lengthsof each belt passing horizontally along the upper faces of the pulleys11, and the lower lengths, which travel in the other direction, passalong the under faces of said pulleys. The arran ement at the end shaft10, at which the be ts are driven, will appear very clearly from aninspection of Fig. 4.

The scenery-carriers 17b are laid in position and will be fed to theendless spur-belts beneath them by attendants who are concealed in theflies at the respective ends of the exhibition chamber. The scenerycarriers are placed on the driving-belts by an attendant at one end, andthey pass off the drivingbelts at the other ends thereof, from wherethey lmay be removed by other attendants.

4By this arrangement the scenery may be changed and varied as may bedesired.

Provision is made for driving the carwheels 8 so as to give the patronseated in the car or vehicle the impression that the car is in motiondue to the vibration thereof, as when an ordinary car is running over atrack. For this purpose a pair of main driving-belts 20 are provided,said belts passing around pulleys 21, the latter being rigidly securedby the shaft 14. (See Fig. 2.) The upper lengths 22 of these belts passin an upwardly-inclined direction over the upper sides of the rollers 6aforesaid. Between the separated pairs of rollers 6 I provideguide-rollers 23, which are slightly depressed, as shown in Fig. 3, soas to insure a sufficient pressure on the rollers 6 by the driving-belt.The same arrangement is employed at the respective ends of the car.

From the construction described it will be seen that the scenery isdisposed in separate courses or sections 24, (see Fig. 2,) and thesecourses vary inY height toward the rear, or toward the point most remotefrom the observer in the car. l/Vith this arrangement all of the coursesof the scenery will be constantly in view, one course being seenprojecting above the courses in front thereof. When the apparatus isoperated by the driving-belt 16, the belts 13 are driven at differentspeeds by the pulleys 15, and these belts in their turn drive thepulleys 11a so as to propel the belts 17 and the scenery-aprons atdifferent speeds. It is preferred to so arrange and proportion theseseveral parts that the scenery nearest to an observer within the carwill move past the car-windows at a great speed, while the scenerydisposed more remotely will move with a less speed. In this way Iimitate the apparent movement of a landscape as it seems to anobserversittingin a car moving across the country. There will inpractice be as many of the courses of scenery as desired, and thegradations from the highest speed to the lowest may be regulated asrequired. The inner faces of the side walls 2 of the exhibition-chambershould be painted to represent the sky, so that no disillusion can occurfrom the stationary walls.

One of the important features of this invention is the means employedfor changing the character of the landscape within the field of visionof the car. This end is secured by the employment of separate orindividual panels representing scenes of different kinds and connectedin series in the proper order or sequence to the scenery-carriers. Theaprons which I employ as the scenery-carriers are supported and drivenby the endless belts described, said belts passing around pulleys, theaxes of rotation of which pulleys are horizontal. This arrangement makesthe belts and the aprons occupy such positions that the faces thereofare in horizontal planes, and. such arrangement admits of the aprons andthe scenery -panels 1S being loaded or placed upon theendles belts withcase and despatch. The panels in my apparatus extend upwardly from thecarrier-apron and the belts on which they are imposed or loaded, thusallowing the carrier-apron to be hid from view by a platform orvstage,while the scenerypanels are adapted to be moved into the field of visionof the occupants of the vehicle, said panels being carried into and outof view by the belts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is` 1. In anillusion device, an observationcar, a horizontally disposed drivingshaft beneath said car, a plurality of pulleys carried by said shaft,said pulleys being of diameters decreasing toward the end of the shaftmost remote from said car, horizontal shafts disposed above said Erst shaft, rollers carried by said last shafts, a plurality of belts adaptedto drive said rollers and passing over said pulleys, and scenery-panelscarried by said belts and projecting substantially vertically.

2. In an illusion device, an observationcar, horizontal shafts disposedtransversely at the side of said car, a plurality of endless beltspassing over said shafts, means for continuously driving said belts,removable scenerybelts carrying panels representing scenery and adaptedto lie upon said endless belts, and interlocking means between saidscenery-belts and said endless belts for advancing said scenery-belts.

3. In an illusion device, an observationcar having wheels below the bodythereof, rollers disposed in pairs and engaging the under sides of saidwheels for supporting said ear, a driving-shaft, pulleys carried by saidshaft, belts passing over said pulleys and IOO driving said rollers, aplurality of pulleys carried by said driving-shaft and diminishing indiameter toward the extremity of said shaft, a plurality of horizontalshafts disposed transversely at the side 0f said car, scenery-panels onsaid carrier, and means rollers mounted on said shafts, scenery-beltsfor securing an interlocking. connection beadapted to be advanced bysaid rollers, and a tween the scenery-carrier and the drivingpluralityof belts passing over said pulleysI belt. yand driving said lastrollers. l In testimony whereof I have signed my z 5 ro 4. In anillusion device, a plurality of endname to this specification in thepresence of less belt), nearsfordguidmg the sam, ard two subscribingwitnesses. scener e ts a apte to ie uponsai en less blts and carryingscenery-panels, said ANGELO F' BONDI' endless belts having spurs on theupper faces Witnesses: 15 thereof, and said scenery-belts having open-CHARLES J. LONG,

ings receiving said spurs whereby said soen- J. M.. DE LA TERGA.

ery-belts may be advanced by said endless belts.

5. In an apparatus of the class described,

an endless driving-belt, a scenery-carrier7 zo'

